10 Days

Arrival at Tehran. Meet with the tour leader, transferred to the hotel for rest.

Full day to visit some of Tehran’s major museums, including the National Museum; the Abguineh (Glass & Ceramics) Museum also visit the Carpet Museum (all above museums are closed on Mondays).In the evening, we will fly to Shiraz and transfer to the hotel.

We will have a full day excursion to Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid dynasty. We will also visit Naghsh-e-Rostam to see Ka’be-Zardosht (fire temple/sanctuary), and Royal Tombs (also Achaemenid). We will see the seven magnificent Sassanian rock-reliefs (including Shapur the First’s famous victory over Roman Emperor Valerian); and Naghsh-e-Rajab, a nearby grotto with more Sassanid reliefs. Later, we will return to Shiraz.

Full day city tour of Shiraz to visit the the the “roses and nightingales”, the Eram Garden, the tomb of Iran’s greatest poet the Hafez; the pink Nasir-ol-Molk Mosque; the Arg-e-Karim Khan the Madrassa Khan (Theological School); the Narenjestan Garden/House, and the Vakil Bazaar of Shiraz. We drive by the Holy Shrine of Shah-e-Cheragh (not open to non-Muslims and can only be seen from the outside). Overnight we will stay at the hotel.

We drive to the Yazd, and visit Pasargadae and visiting the tomb of Cyrus the Great, the Founder of the Persian Empire, and the remains of his several palaces, all are in the beautiful plain of Dasht-e-Morghab. We will continue to the Yazd for an overnight stay at the hotel.

We will visit the active Zoroastrian Fire Temple. We will also visit the Friday Mosque (1324 A.D.), and walk through the old Fahadan quarter. We will drive to Isfahan via Na’in, a charming desert town, to visit the 10th Century Friday Mosque and the 17th Century Pirnia House/Ethnographic Museum (closed on Mondays). We will walk through the old part of the town. Overnight stay at a hotel.

Full day tour of the Isfahan, where we will visit the famous bridges of the town, Khajou & Sio-se-pol. We will also visit the Armenian Quarter with several churches, including the important Cathedral of Vank. In the afternoon, we will go to Naghsh-e-Jahan Square, with several sites including the Ali-Qapu Palace with its enchanting music room. We will see two of Islamic world’s greatest mosques – the Sheikh Lotfollah and the Shah – with their magnificent architecture and tile work. We will finish off the day with a visit to the Qeisarieh (the bazaar is closed on Fridays). We will have an overnight stay at a hotel.

A full day of sightseeing in Isfahan to visit the magnificent Friday Mosque, with the famous Uljaitu Mihrab (Prayer Niche) of the Il-Khanid period. Visiting the Friday Mosque a museum with ancient religious Persian architecture. From here we will drive to the Chehel Sotun Palace, its twenty wooden columns are reflected in the surface of the pool which gave rise to its name ‘The Palace of Forty Columns’. In the end, we visiting Hasht Behesht Pavilion built in 1670 by Shah Solayman. This small but intricate building is set amongst tree-lined alleys, a reflecting pool, and water rills. We will return and stay at a hotel.

In the morning we will drive to Tehran. We will stop over at the charming town of Natanz to visit (Friday Mosque/Monastery/Tomb of Sheikh Abdul Samad Isfahani). We will continue to the Kashan to visit the historic garden of Fin which was first planted during the Safavid period. We will also visit a merchant residence known as Taba-Tabai House with its beautiful stucco dome and inlaid mirror work after we will continue to Tehran and drive by the Mausoleum of Imam Khomeini. We will transfer to a hotel for an overnight stay.

Transfer to IKA airport for departure flight.

Visa, Hotel, Breakfast, Transfer, Insurance, Tour guide.